Program Reviews

I participated in three TFT trips while I was in high school, and this repetition shows my love of TFT! I went to South Africa, Peru, and Bali with TFT and I loved how each trip was totally different. I got to experience three completely different cultures and ways of living and partake in insane activities like swimming with great whites (in a safe manner of course). I loved how I got to meet other kids my age who shared the same love of travel and desire to seek discomfort. TFT was an inspiration for me to take a gap year and to continue to fuel my love of travel and push myself out of my comfort zone. I would not be who I am today if I didn’t have TFT!

I took the Italy and Greece trip for Older Teens. Going on this trip changed my entire life to say the least. Being able to meet new people, see new faces, and explore new territory was awe-inspiring. The amount of time to take this trip was the perfect amount of time to pick up on new culture, see new faces, and hear amazing stories. The food was food that you'd never tasted and it will change your life, I promise! The friends that I met were one of a kind and I am even going to the same college as one of them! Overall, this was the best trip ever.

Traveling with Travel for Teens was the best choice I had ever made. This trip emerged me into the culture and the people I met were amazing. The entire trip was beautiful. I had a great time staying with host families and meeting locals in Peru. I also got the chance to go to a local school and meet the children. On the trip, we had delicious food including the option to try alpaca and guinea pig! We also got to learn about and make chocolate at one point! Altogether, the trip was so much fun and I will forever be in love with traveling.

During these two weeks, the people I met with changed my life forever is such a positive way. I had so much fun with them, even more fun than with my friends at home! The food was better than I could have ever imagined, the scenery was breathtaking (and, frankly, there are no words for the Amalfi Coast or the mountains of Delphi), and the cities were so full of life, as were the locals. The archeological sites (such as Pompeii, the Oracle at Delphi, the Colosseum, the Forum, etc.) were so cool to look at! Swimming and SCUBA diving in the Mediterranean Sea was one of the highlights of the trip! This trip will leave me smiling at the memories for the rest of my life. Thank you, TFT, for making this possible. If you want to meet lifelong friends, see astounding sites, eat the best food you've ever tasted, or see the places where the foundations for our society were laid, then this trip is for you! I cannot praise this trip enough!

My trip with Travel For Teens in July of 2021 was, by far, the most important trip of my life. The two-week trip to Greece (‘Athens and the Islands’) was my first international experience. At the outset of the trip, I was overwhelmed and unsure of what to expect. It was the moment I met my counselors and fellow travelers that I felt not only relaxed, but excited! The energy of the entire TFT team was so positive, dedicated and truly made the trip the success that it was. Beyond the impressive organization of the trip’s schedule, the friendships I made on my trip are ones I hope to have forever. Through the intimate nature of travelling with others, friendship with fellow travelers comes naturally and effortlessly. Months later, I still keep in touch with the friends I made on this trip - and we plan to visit each other in the future! During my time in Greece, I was exposed to Greek first-hand through talking with locals. I tried delicious cuisine exclusive to Greece. I roamed the peacefully quiet streets of the island towns - and the ones bustling with life, sounds and people in the expansive city of Athens. Furthermore, I learned more about Greek culture, history and lifestyle during my trip than I ever have from any textbook. Above all, the natural scenery (specifically the sea) was the most breathtaking and memorable aspect of the trip. Greece's natural beauty - in the language, food, history, culture, lifestyle, and geography are truly beautiful in every regard. Greece has so much to offer, and this trip is an ideal way to experience it all!

The Travel for Teen’s Iceland Trip was truly one of the coolest experiences of my whole life. The schedule of activities are thoroughly planned out and really gave me the true Icelandic experience. From swimming in the blue lagoon, to hiking Europe’s biggest glacier (Vatnajokull), to riding native Icelandic horses through the countryside, I really do think I did everything Iceland had to offer. Along with a wonderful itinerary, the counselors were awesome and were very good at supporting my fellow campers and I throughout the trip. I strongly suggest TFT to any teen who craves adventure and a different perspective of the world because that is exactly what they provide you with.

Where to begin! I'll start on pre-departure. Travel for Teens has been excellent in aiding people complete their paperwork/sign ups for trips including me. I had many questions and they helped me fully comprehend what I needed in order to make my trip happen. They are also very prepared and have everything covered for a minor that is traveling alone outside their state/country. I was unable to complete my payment by the deadline but because I was communicating with the awesome understanding staff I was able to pay off my balance after the deadline free of charge. Before your trip, information about the other teens in your group will be emailed to you. One of the people in mine emailed us and got our Instagrams so we got to connect before our trip. During the trip they also use the "Whatsapp" app for communication between your group. I actually really loved the people on my trip because we had good chemistry and rarely had problems, our trip leaders were literally THE BEST and if we had anything at all to tell them they were very supportive and expressed how this trip was for us and if they could do anything to make it better they were there to listen and help. We called them our temporary mom and dad but we really were like a family by the end of the trip. A couple times during the trip we had complications with arrivals and activities but they were solved and made up for. Many people might see the price of the trip and get disencouraged like I once did. After experiencing one I'm proud to confidently say it's worth it 100%. The costs covered the living space, activities, volunteering, travel(other than flying) and food. The reason I included volunteering was because at the Jaguar Rescue Center they take their work very seriously and require you to pay in order to be able to volunteer for them to guarantee only the most reliable people to help them, plus all the profit they make goes back into the center and the animals. I went on the Costa Rica Animal Rescue Service and it was an amazing experience that many don't get to do. Especially people under 18. The "Jaguar Rescue Center" only takes volunteers over the age of 18 but have exceptions for this one unique trip that only Travel for Teens offers. On my trip we collected a total of 80 hours of volunteer rain or shine and let me tell you it was no easy job. Like I said the staff take it really seriously so you have to be dedicated to pushing through hard labor in order to care for these animals. At the center there were insects, snakes, birds, monkeys, otters, rats, felines, sloths, deers, turtles, a porcupine (my favorite) and an alligator but they take in any animal brought or found. On our first day we had a tour and for the next three weeks on the weekdays we were working. During my time volunteering there I cleaned the enclosures of sloths, monkeys, horses, rats, macaws and a porcupine top to bottom and replaced their "enrichment" (trees, branches, leaves, flowers;etc). To get enrichment we were supplied with machetes and had access to the jungle to collect it. I also painted parts of wood that they needed to update the center. I did laundry, dishes, cleaned the pathway for the classic tour and on my last 2 days went all the way and collected ocean water for a sea turtle by myself from the beach to the center which was 700 feet one way so 1,400 feet there and back and went back and forth a good 5-7 times carrying a barrel filled with water. On a volunteer day we would have to be up and ready by 6 am for breakfast in order start our work by 7. We would work for 6 hours then have lunch at 1. The rest of the day we would choose between relaxing at our hotel while others ventured out into the "town" just to explore or to buy stuff or we would go to the beach. For weekends we would have fun activities planned. We went ziplining that ended with an educational tour on the jungle and animals inside of it, surfing, went to a chocolate museum where we took a tour and made chocolate, visited a native tribe (Bribri) where they educated us on their sovereignty and made us lunch while we got to make more chocolate and even hot chocolate, white water rafting and horseback riding. Unfortunately our day trip to Panama Dolphin Bay was canceled due to covid and restrictions at the border but everyone was reimbursed. Since me and another girl on the trip were vegan we had limited options but our trip leaders were good at making sure to accomodate for our needs, same went for my severe allergies to nuts and bees. The place we stayed was lowkey and perfect walking distance to the beach and venders. We all had separate rooms adjacent to one another with roommates. Cleaned daily. Each one had 2 little rocking chairs outside of each room and towards the back had a small pool. Leaving was so sad because no one wanted to leave but departures were very easy and we had no complications at the airport. For parents during the trip the trip leaders email them daily about a summary of the day and what's next along with uploading photos taken with a canon on waldo (photo viewing site). Next year in late January I will be going to NYC to visit people from my trip! Overall I would rate my trip a 10/10!!!! I can't wait for my next one.

This past summer I made the most amazing memories in Costa Rica with TFT, on their Surf and Service trip. The prospect of navigating through airports alone can be a bit daunting, but the TFT staff made the process easy. TFT helped me book all my flights, and when I arrived at the Miami airport, I met with one of their counselors who led me to meet the other campers at our gate for our flight into Costa Rica. Each day was a new adventure, from snorkeling, sailing, ziplining, and of course lots of surfing, there was always something new to look forward to! Whether we were doing service work, exploring the town, catching waves at the beach, or setting off for another adventure, the staff was always checking in to ensure that all campers were physically and emotionally feeling their best. The trip was extremely organized, from where we had dinner, to the time we needed to board the buses, everything had been planned. Along with prioritizing safety and organization, TFT prioritizes a welcoming and high-spirited group comradery, to ensure that each camper has fun. From checking in with campers one on one periodically, to filling our itinerary with group collaborative activities, TFT’s devotion to a positive group atmosphere was evident in the friendships we made, and all the laughs we shared. The TFT community brings together a group of adventurous people, curious about the world, who all share a passion for travel, enabling some of the most amazing friendships. From the second I met everyone at the airport, until the moment we said goodbye, I never stopped growing my friendships with my fellow campers, many of which I keep in touch with, and have reunited with! My summer with TFT was truly unforgettable, and my only regret is that I did not find out about TFT sooner!

Traveling with a group, especially a group of strangers, is never easy, but with Travel For Teens my experience in Costa Rica was unforgettable. I started looking for a summer camp a few months ago when travel limitations were still enforced due to COVID. When I was actually able to participate in a camp and step foot in another country, it felt surreal. I was in Costa Rica with the TFT Animal Rescue program volunteering at the Jaguar Rescue Center (JRC). From hard work tasks like cleaning enclosures to smile worthy tasks like sitting and watching a baby sloth, I did it all. At times the work we did was exhausting, but never unbearable because the thought of our work helping so many animals was always in the back of our minds. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed working with the animals at the JRC, I also loved our weekend activities – surfing, white water rafting, chocolate making, touring the BriBri community, and lots of swimming. The warm water, silky smooth sand, and new friends made me look forward to our water activities everyday. My experience with TFT wouldn’t have been the same without my amazing counselors, Jenna and Aaron. They deserve the biggest praise. I am so glad I went on this trip and definitely recommend it to anybody interested in experiencing all that Costa Rica has to offer.

This summer I went on the Belize Ultimate Scuba and Service, and it was a dream come true. Learning to scuba dive has been on my bucket list forever, and it was even better than I could’ve imagined. I got the chance to swim alongside sea turtles, nurse sharks, and schools of tropical fish. The volunteer work and research we participated in was incredibly interesting as well. REEFCI is such an amazing organization that offered us the opportunity to learn about invasive species hands-on and take part in saving the reefs. The island where we stayed was gorgeous. The other campers and I bonded over games of volleyballs, stargazing, and not to mention the absolutely amazing food. It somehow was incredibly serene and exciting all at the same time. My best memories range from getting to spear lionfish 60 feet underwater to laying around in hammocks and telling jokes to the rest of the group. The off island excursions were also incredible. From hiking through the jungle and spotting monkeys and tarantulas, to drifting down a lazy river, to sliding down natural water slides, there was not one boring moment. Even the car rides were full of song singing and authentic Mayan Chocolate eating. It was an amazing adventure from the moment we all got on the group flight together, to our tearful airport goodbyes. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my summer.